Ancient Rome: Social Classes

Roman citizens were divided up into two distinct classes: the plebeians and the patricians. The patricians were the wealthy upper class people. Everyone else was considered a plebeian. Read through this website to learn more.

Roman society was clearly hierarchical, with legally defined privileges allotted to different classes and countless informal differences in attitudes toward the classes in everyday life. Read through this article to learn more.

Read through this article to learn how Ancient Roman society was designed around the family unit and how Roman social classes worked.

Government officials were elected by Roman, citizens Citizens could vote; had rights and responsibilities under a "well administered system of criminal and civil law. Men of both the upper and lower classes could be citizens. Women and slaves were not allowed to be citizens. Read through this website to learn more about Ancient Roman society.

he contemporary idea of democracy, while borne out of the political struggles in the city of Athens, came to fruition in the Roman Republic, surviving, despite the constant interference of the emperor, through the Roman Empire. Although the present definition of democracy has changed considerably, one must still recognise its early evolution in that eternal city, Rome. Read through this article to learn more.

Rome transitioned from a republic to an empire after power shifted away from a representative democracy to a centralised imperial authority, with the emperor holding the most power.

Initially, Rome was ruled by kings, with Romulus being the first. After only 7 kings had ruled, the Roman people decided to govern themselves and so its own form of government was developed. Despite having a fearsome army that enslaved thousands of people, the Roman government was democratic. The people would gather together to discuss which officials to elect. In the Roman government there were two consuls who were elected as the chief officials. The consuls would lead for a year and if they were not liked they would be ousted in the following election, however if they were liked, they could stay in office. Read through this article to learn more.

How did Rome go from being one of many city-states in the Italian peninsula to being the center of the most powerful empire in the ancient world? Part of the answer lies in the political institutions that Rome developed early in its history. As Rome expanded its influence over more and more areas, its political institutions proved both resilient and adaptable, allowing it to incorporate diverse populations. Read through this website to learn more.